Down Memory Lane

PORCUPINE MEATBALLS
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 large can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons chopped green peppers
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup raw rice

Mix ground beef with breadcrumbs, egg, paprika and chopped green peppers. Roll lightly into balls. Roll in raw rice. Heat tomato sauce in a pot, add chili powder, then add the porcupine meatballs; cover pot, and simmer about 45 minutes.

The key word in the ’30s was “frugal,” yet some exciting things happened, including the birth of the Toll House cookie when Ruth Wakefield, the proprietor of the Toll House Inn in Massachusetts, chopped up a Nestle’s chocolate bar and tossed the bits into dough. In 1932 the first supermarket opened in Long Island, New York, and Family Circle magazine offered tips on how to feed a family of four on $13-15 a week. American housewives of the era were skilled at “making do.” Often that meant turning out meatless meals like macaroni and cheese—a favorite of many of us still today. And also from this same era are recipes for lemon cake pie and apple brown betty.

MACARONI AND CHEESE
1 1/2 cup elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of pepper
2 cups milk
2 cups cubed sharp American cheese
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

Cook elbow macaroni in boiling salted water till tender; drain. In a saucepan melt butter and blend in flour, salt and pepper. Add milk; cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add cheese and onion; cook and stir till cheese melts. Mix cheese sauce with macaroni. Turn into 1 1/2 quart casserole; sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake in 350-degree oven till heated through, 35-40 minutes. Serves 6.

LEMON CAKE PIE
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
5 tablespoons lemon juice
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
1 1/4 cups milk

Make a pastry for a single-crust 9-inch pie. In a large bowl, stir sugar and melted butter together, and blend in flour, salt, grated lemon peel, and lemon juice. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks to blend and stir in milk. Stir the egg mixture into the lemon mixture. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until they hold stiff, moist peaks; gently fold into the lemon mixture. Pour into the pastry shell. Bake in 375-degree oven until the filling is richly browned on top, about 30-40 minutes, and the center feels set when lightly pressed. Let cool on a rack.

APPLE BROWN BETTY
1 1/2 cups dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
4 medium apples, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Juice of 1 lemon

Work breadcrumbs and butter together and pat a third of the mixture on the bottom of a buttered baking dish. Cover with half the apples. Mix together sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and lemon rind. Sprinkle half the mixture over the apples. Add half the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of water. Add another layer of crumbs. Repeat with apples, sugar mixture, lemon juice, and water. Sprinkle remaining crumbs on top, cover, and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove cover and continue baking at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve warm with cream, vanilla ice cream or lemon sauce. Serves six.

HINT OF THE MONTH:
When you are out of breadcrumbs, use finely crushed unsweetened breakfast cereal, such as corn flakes. Or try potato chips or instant potato flakes.

Marian Platt’s regional narrative cookbook of Washington’s Sequim Valley, From My Kitchen Window, can be ordered by sending cash, check or money order for $25 (includes tax and handling/mailing costs) to Marian Platt, 434 Chicken Coop Rd., Sequim, WA 98382. Phone (360) 683-4691.